Trap for preventing the burglarizing of iron safes.



No, 844,934. PATENTED PEB. 19, wor/.

s. M. HARDBN.

TRAP POR PREVENTING THE BURGLARIZING 0F IRON SAFES.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNBG, 1905.

SHEDRICK M. HARDEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TRAP FOR PREVENTING THE BURGLARIZING OF IRON SAFES.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1907.

Application filed June 6, 1905. Serial No. 263.994.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, SHEDEICK M. HAR- DEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to man-traps designed for use in connection with and to prevent the burglarization of safes, and has for itsl objects to produce a simple, inexpensive device of this character which may be readily installed, one wherebT the burglar will be caught in an underlying compartment or trap which will effectually prevent his escape, and one wherein an alarm will be automatically sounded to give notice of the presence of the burglar in the trap.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts,as will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail of the platform-locking means.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates an apartment in which is located a safe 2 and having an entrance-door 3 and a iioor 4;, there being provided beneath the floor a compartment 5, separated by vertical partitions 6 into a series of chambers or traps 7 in each of which latter there is arranged a downwardly-inclined chute or guard 8.

Included in and constituting a part of the floor 4 is a plurality of pivoted sections or trap-doors 9, arranged, respectively, over the underlying chambers or traps 7 and each sustained by a central horizontal pintle oraxle 1() and each provided at one end with a weight 11 and at its other end with a stop or abutment 12, the trap-doors being normally fixed against movement by means of longitudinally-movable locking members or bolts 13, designed for entrance into a socket 14, formed in the trap-door.

Sustained by springs 15 at the bottom of each of the compartments 7 is a depressible member or platform 16, carrying a contact 17, adapted for cooperation with a contact 18 to complete a -circuit through suitable the night the locking-bolts 18 are withdrawn 1` to release the trap-doors, which latter are maintained in proper horizontal position through the medium of the weights 11 and stops 12, as will be readily understood. Should a burglar enter the passage-way and step upon one of the trap-doors 9, the latter will be caused to swing on its pivot 10, thereby dropping the burglar into the underlying chamber or trap?, it being understood that ,in falling he will be directed by the chute8 onto the depressible member or platform 6, thus depressing the latter against the action of the spring 15 and through the contacts 17 18 completing the circuit and sounding the alarm, it being understood that after dropping the burglar into the trap the door 9 swings into position, thus to prevent his escape. i

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- A structure for preventing the burglarizing of safes comprising a floor of a room or hallway having openings therein, hinged doors for closing the openings, means for locking the doors, a series of compartments arranged below the doors and divided by partition-walls, chutes secured to said walls having one of their portions vertical and the other inclined, spring-platforms arranged in the bottom of said compartments in line with the inclined portion of said chutes, oneof said platforms centrally pivoted to the partition between two of said compartments, and means for sounding an alarm when said platforms are depressed, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SHEDRICK M. HARDN. Vitnesses P. R. HARVEY, A. B. WAEING. 

